A contractor has told a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) high court in Maitama, Abuja, that Danladi Umar, former chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), asked him to pay N6 million into his wife’s bank account.
Oluwatayo Fashogbon, chief executive officer (CEO) of Portal
Realities Limited and JTF Global Links Limited, testified on Thursday as the
first prosecution witness in Umar’s trial on a four-count charge filed by the
Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged nepotism and
conferring corrupt advantage on himself.
Led in evidence by Christopher Mshelia, prosecution counsel,
Fashogbon said Umar also asked him to help pay his children’s university fees.
He told the court that Umar had asked him to submit his
company’s documents to the CCT procurement department in September 2021.
Fashogbon said he submitted the documents of JTF Global
Links Limited, after which Akinola Akanji, then deputy director of procurement
at the tribunal, contacted him.
He added that Akanji informed him on September 22, 2021,
that the contract had been awarded to his company.
“We were given an award letter for the digitalisation of the
code of conduct tribunal’s personnel records, stores, accounts, and online
filing systems. On the same day, we submitted an acceptance letter,” Fashogbon
told the court.
According to the witness, the 12-month contract was valued
at approximately N140 million, adding that his company received four
instalments under the agreement.
He said the first payment, amounting to about N9 million,
was paid into JTF Global Links Limited’s Stanbic IBTC Bank account in September
2021.
He told the court that the second instalment of about N17
million was paid on December 18, 2021, while the third payment of approximately
N16 million was received in July 2022.
Fashogbon said the fourth instalment, amounting to about N17
million, was paid on January 23, 2024.
Two days later, he said, Umar called him and asked him to
transfer N6 million to the Zenith Bank account of his wife, Zulaihatu Danladi
Umar.
“After the fourth payment, on 25th January 2024, Umar
Danladi called me and said that I should make a payment of N6,000,000.00 to the
account of his wife in Zenith Bank, Mrs Zulaihatu Danladi Umar,” he said.
Fashogbon said the money was transferred from the Wema Bank
account of Portal Realities Limited.
He also testified that, in October 2024, Akanji contacted
him with a request allegedly made by Umar to help pay his children’s university
fees.
Fashogbon said he paid about N2 million into Baze
University’s account for Umar’s son, Yakubu Danladi Umar, using the Jaiz Bank
account of Portal Realities Limited.
The witness added that he made a similar payment for Umar’s
daughter, Faiza Umar Danladi, from the same company account.
The prosecution tendered the contract award letter, which
Fashogbon identified by the logos of the tribunal and his company, as well as
signature and dates.
The court admitted the document in evidence and marked it as
Exhibit A.
During cross-examination by S. Edward, defence counsel,
Fashogbon said he was qualified to execute public contracts, citing previous
engagements with the CCT and other government institutions.
He maintained that his contracts were awarded based on his
qualifications and the documents he submitted.
Umar is facing a four-count charge involving an alleged
N15.59 million benefit.
The case was adjourned until January 20, 2027, for
continuation of hearing.
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